With increasing customer demand for information to be supplied to homes and businesses, telephone communication companies are being pushed to upgrade their communication network infrastructures. In order to supply more information in the form of video, audio and telephony at higher rates, higher bandwidth communication networks are required. Conventional telephone communication network infrastructures utilize fiber optics and twisted copper pair wire to send communication data to a customer. Fiber optic cable supports a high bandwidth while, twisted copper wire supports relatively low bandwidth over long distances. In operation, the fiber optic cable portion of the communications network transmits digital light bits to an optical network unit (ONU). The optical network unit converts the digital light bits to an analog signal which is received by a conventional customer telephone.
Generally, customers who are within two to three miles of a telephone company's central office are fed communication data solely using twisted copper pair. The twisted copper pair carries the phone signals as well as a −48 volts DC power to operate and ring the phones. Large cables (thousands of pairs), are routed through the telephone central office switch and branch out to various manholes, poles, and cross-connect points to customer locations. For customers who are further away, a digital loop carrier (DLC) cabinet, hut, or buried vault is placed in an area and reaches up to a two-mile radius. High speed copper lines (T1, DS1, etc.) or fiber cable feed digital bits from the telephone central office to the DLC. Similar to the ONU, the DLC converts the digital signal to an analog waveform required to operate the telephones. A copper drop (twisted copper pairs) relays the analog signals to a customer's home over a radius of two to three miles around the DLC site. The DLC cabinet contains its own batteries, power rectifiers, converters, and a connection for a portable generator. Additionally, the DLC cabinet is connected to an AC power feed from the local power company. For a business or residential customer requiring higher speed data than the standard telephony service, high speed copper or fiber data circuits are routed from the DLC or the CO to the customer location.
The twisted copper cable will not support high bandwidths over a great distance. In order to achieve high bandwidths at a customer location, the fiber optic loop must be brought closer to the customer so that the copper drop is a sufficiently short distance and will be capable of supporting high data transfer rates. One major problem with bringing fiber cable within a short distance of a customer location is the added burden of maintaining the multitude of optical network units (ONUs) which will be required and will typically only serve between twelve to ninety-six customers. Conventional telephone networks utilizing DLCs do not have this problem because there are far fewer DLCs given their capability of serving approximately four hundred to two thousand customers each. Each ONU will require power to make the digital to analog conversion to run the telephones and provide lifeline telephony. Lifeline telephony is required of all telephone communication networks. Lifeline telephony means that the customer telephones must remain energized and operational during an AC power interruption and outage.
As such, a need exists for a system and method for powering a fiber optic communication network which brings fiber within a short distance of a customer location. The fiber optic communication network power architecture must be capable of supporting lifeline telephony and operate the multitude of optical network units in a cost effective and maintainable manner.